


Leather and Lace

by swinggal138



Series: Sherlock's Equal [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Burlesque, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Light Bondage, Missing Persons, Moving In Together, Office Sex, Rough Sex, Sherlock Holmes and Feelings, Strip Tease, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-03-29
Packaged: 2018-01-17 09:59:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 17,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1383334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swinggal138/pseuds/swinggal138
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greg and his girlfriend Alice have just moved in together but now his wife wants him back. Meanwhile, Sherlock and his girlfriend, Anne, search for burlesque dancers who have mysteriously gone missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

John Watson walked into 221B Baker Street with his current girlfriend, Danielle. It was the first time he had brought her home and he had to admit he was rather nervous. In the past, his relationships were usually short-lived due to his flatmate, Sherlock, and his girlfriend Anne; they could be quite an intimidating pair and most girls couldn’t handle them or the amount of attention and time John usually devoted to helping them. But John really liked Danielle and he felt that she should finally meet his best friend. The couple walked into the flat and John instructed Danielle to make herself comfortable in the living room while he grabbed them some tea in the kitchen. He didn’t see any sign of his flatmate but that didn’t mean he wasn’t around.  
“Sherlock? Anne? Are you here? There’s someone I want you to meet.”  
“John? John is that you?” Anne called from the bedroom, “Can you come here? I need your help.”  
John walked back into Sherlock’s bedroom, fearing the worst, and after seeing the sight before him, he kind of wished it had been the worst. Anne was laying on the bed, a sheet barely covering her, with her hands attached to the headboard.  
“Anne, are those handcuffs?”  
“Yes.”  
“Where? What?”  
“Sherlock took them off Greg the other day and we were using them for some fun when he suddenly got a text and ran off, leaving me here!”  
“Oh dear. How long have you been like this?”  
“An hour or two. He said he would be back soon but soon can mean anything with him.”  
“Yes. Well do you at least have the key here?”  
“No, Sherlock had it with him.”  
“Well, I think I can pick this lock, give me a second.”  
John was able to set Anne free of the handcuffs, leaving her to get dressed while he went back to Danielle on the couch. Anne joined them moments later, flopping down in a chair as she tried to rub some life back into her aching wrists.   
“Anne, this is my girlfriend, Danielle. Danielle, this is my flatmate’s girlfriend, Anne.”  
Anne looked over Danielle for a moment and John braced for what he knew was coming, forgetting that Anne was just as bad as Sherlock when it came to meeting new people, especially people close to John.  
“Interior decorator and just starting out from the looks of it. Eager to please and show off her knowledge of arranging a room. Divorced. Has an older sister who is very protective of her. Travels a lot, all around the world in fact, which means she will sadly not be able to spend much time with you John. She has two cats, loves red wine, is working on quitting smoking, an avid reader, and already clearly very attached to you. I like her, John.”  
Danielle looked over at Anne for a moment in astonishment before turning to John,  
“How did she..”  
“Nope, just...trust me, you don’t want to know. Well,” John said, addressing Anne, “We actually have dinner reservations but thought we would stop in so I could introduce her to..”  
At that moment, Sherlock entered the flat, looking fairly distracted as if he was contemplating something. He took off his coat and scarf before even noticing the other people in the room.   
“I thought I left you attached to the bed.”  
“You did,” Anne replied, “and you’ll be paying for that later.”  
“Oh, I imagine I will.”  
“Sherlock,” John said, “this is my girlfriend, Danielle.”  
“Hello,” Sherlock said, looking her over for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak but Anne cut him off.  
“Don’t bother. Already went down that road.”  
Sherlock shrugged, walking into the kitchen in search of something to eat.  
“Well, we better be off,” John said, moving Danielle towards the door.  
“It was...nice...meeting you both,” Danielle said as her and John left to go to dinner. Sherlock came back from the kitchen, handing Anne a few biscuits he had grabbed. She took them from him, sending him a slight glare; yes, he would definitely be paying for the handcuff thing later.


	2. Chapter 2

Alice unloaded the last box from the car and set it in the living room of the flat. She looked around at the place, their place. About two weeks ago, Alice and her boyfriend, Greg Lestrade, had finally made the decision to move in together. Since Alice had a flatmate and Greg lived alone, the obvious decision was that she would be the one moving. Technically, her old flatmate, Anne, still lived in the place but the majority of her time was spent in her boyfriend’s flat upstairs.  
“Well, I guess that’s the last of it,” Alice said, walking over to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him soundly on the lips.  
“We are officially living together,” Greg answered.  
“You know, I’m technically not unpacked yet; you can still change your mind.”  
“Nope, I want you here. You are stuck with me. And I promise, I will be much easier to get along with than your last flatmate.”  
“Well, that’s true. Not that she was ever there anyway. Her and Sherlock spend practically every second together it seems.”  
“I noticed that; I’m amazed they haven’t killed each other yet.”’   
“Me too. Although, they are so much the same person that I can’t imagine they disagree on much.”  
“True. So, I vote we unpack the rest of your stuff. Then I will make you a fabulous dinner and we can end our night with putting in a movie that will almost immediately be forgotten in favor of christening our bedroom.”  
“I like the way you think,” Alice said, leaning up to kiss her boyfriend again. They kissed for several minutes before setting about unpacking the various boxes that were left. Both of them were hesitant to take such a big step in their relationship because they had both been hurt in the past, but it seemed like the right thing to do and they were both looking forward to this new chapter in their lives.


	3. Chapter 3

Back at Baker Street, Sherlock and Anne were wrapped in the sheet on the couch, discussing the text he got earlier.   
“According to Lestrade, the girl was last seen backstage after her performance.”  
“Performance?”  
“Yes. She’s a dancer for a burlesque troupe; does strip teases apparently.”  
“And she just disappeared?”  
“Yes.”  
“But no body?”  
“None found so far.”  
“And we are being bothered by this why? It’s obvious the girl ran away, probably from a crazy ex-boyfriend or something.”  
“I have no idea.”  
“Well, next time you leave me attached to your headboard, at least make sure it is for something important,” Anne replied, leaning up to capture her boyfriend’s lips, kissing him passionately as his hands started exploring her body beneath the sheet. Just then, they were interrupted by a small knock on the door, which was open as always.  
“Yoo hoo,” Mrs. Hudson, the landlady said, “No need to get up. I just brought you some milk; John mentioned you were out again.”  
She took the bag to the kitchen, placing it is the fridge and trying to ignore the various body parts Sherlock and Anne had stored in it for experiments. Returning to the living room, she glanced at the couple laying on the couch.  
“Look at you two, all snuggled together. It’s so nice to see you happy with someone Sherlock. Anne, I’m so glad you came into his life.”  
“Thank you Mrs. Hudson.”  
“Well, I will just leave you two alone. And tell John I brought you guys milk this time but I’m not your housekeeper.”  
Mrs. Hudson left the flat, heading downstairs to her own place, as Sherlock continued to run his hands over his girlfriend, something he hadn’t actually stopped even while Mrs. Hudson was there. Anne turned to him, giving him a look, before leaning in to kiss him again.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice woke up, wrapped in Greg’s arms, his head resting on her shoulder. Sighing happily, she snuggled deeper into his grasp; she was home. Outside their bedroom door was their kitchen, their living room, their flat. Alice couldn’t believe how happy she was with this man; his wife must have been completely crazy to cheat on him. Deciding to do something special for Greg, she slowly wriggled out of his grasp, slipping on a robe and going to the kitchen. She started the coffee maker and began looking through the fridge for something to make for breakfast; she was delighted to find he had all the ingredients necessary for her to make her special biscuits and gravy. Humming to herself, she got to work.  
About an hour later, Greg rolled over in bed, his arms reaching for Alice but grasping air instead. It took him only a moment to realize where she had gone as wonderful smells filled the flat and he heard bacon sizzling in a pan out in the kitchen. Slipping on his pants, he made his way out of the bedroom, smiling at his adorable girlfriend who was dancing around the kitchen as she cooked, her hair still mussed from sleeping. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into her neck before turning her around to kiss her good morning.  
“Good morning,” he said once he broke the kiss, “You’ve been busy this morning.”  
“Just wanted to do something special for you on our first morning together.”  
“You’re going to spoil me.”  
“That’s the idea,” Alice said, leaning up to kiss him again.  
He then sat down at the table and Alice brought them each a heaping plate of biscuits and gravy, bacon, and scrambled eggs. There was also coffee and orange juice. For hours, the couple sat talking and eating, enjoying a relaxing morning together as rain poured outside.  
A few hours later, Greg got a call and had to leave for the office so Alice, bored, decided to wander over to Baker Street to visit Anne. Knowing it was very unlikely she would actually be in her flat, Alice went directly upstairs, walking through the door that always seemed to be open.  
“Hello?” she called, “Anybody home?”  
John came around the corner from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his jeans.  
“Alice,” he greeted her, “nice to see you.”  
The two exchanged hugs and John offered her tea, which she graciously accepted. Alice sat down in a chair and he brought her in a cuppa with some biscuits, taking his own tea and sitting down in the armchair across from her.  
“Where’s Greg today?”  
“He got called away to some business down at the office. Where’s Sherlock and Anne?”  
“Still asleep believe it or not. They hadn’t gotten any rest in about four days I think so I made them take a break last night and get some sleep.”  
“Break? Are they working on a case? Greg hasn’t mentioned anything lately, aside from a missing girl that I was pretty certain was dismissed as a run-away.”  
“No, no case. But they seem to be doing a lot of experiments lately. Among...other things.”  
“Oh, got it. You know, for two people who talk so negatively about sentiment and emotion, they are incredibly affectionate with one another.”  
“Honestly I think that is nothing more than an addiction to pleasure hormones. Their relationship is really one of the mind rather than emotion. Their physical affection does not seem necessary to indicate that they care about one another; I think it’s just a way to conquer their boredom considering they barely touch each other when they are working on a case.”  
“I guess that makes sense. They really aren’t a typical couple are they?”  
“Sometimes, I think they can barely be called a couple. Then I see them on a crime scene and for some reason, it just seems so obvious how much they love each other.”  
“God help the world if they eventually reproduce,” Alice said with a laugh.  
John nearly spit out his tea at the image that conjured up in his head. Upon recovering from their fit of laughter, Alice and John spent the next hour or so catching up; he told her all about Danielle and she filled him in on how she had moved in with Greg. Alice was just about to leave when Sherlock and Anne wandered down the hall, both in pajamas much to the relief of John and Alice; it was too cold in the flat for just a sheet apparently. They both poured some tea and sat down on the couch together, Sherlock pulling Anne back against his chest, leaning down to nip at a dark mark on her neck; John knew he was doing that just to make him and Alice feel uncomfortable.


	5. Chapter 5

Anne and Sherlock sat cuddled on the couch, arguing back and forth about their experiments when Sherlock’s phone went off, alerting him to a text. Sherlock read it, suddenly standing and heading towards the bedroom.  
“Sherlock, where are you going?” Anne asked.  
“There’s another missing girl.”  
“So?”  
“So...this isn’t just a girl running away. There’s something interesting this time.”  
Anne had to admit she was intrigued and got off the couch to change into some clothes and head out the door with her boyfriend. Soon, Sherlock and Anne arrived at the club; Lestrade led them inside, past yellow police tape. It was a fairly large club, definitely intended for the richer of society. A large, well-stocked bar stood at one end of the room which was filled with round tables. There was a large stage at the front with several small, one-person, stages in what appeared to be private booths off to the side. Lestrade then led them both backstage to a row of lavish dressing rooms, showing them into one.   
“Jennifer Monroe, or Cherry Pop according to her stage name, was supposed to meet a few of the other girls last night after the performance to grab some late-night food but she never showed. One of the girls said she had seemed edgy all night so she called Jennifer’s flatmate to see if she had maybe just gone home but she hadn’t been seen all day. Then she never showed up to rehearsal this morning. The door to her dressing room was open and the light on so one of the girls went inside and found this.”  
Lestrade held up a single red rose, tied with a scarlet ribbon that contained a slip of paper that simply said “Cherry Pop” on it. Putting on gloves, Sherlock examined the rose then handed it to Anne who placed it carefully in an evidence bag that they would take to the lab at St. Bart’s. Sherlock then began moving around the room, looking for clues.  
“Any ideas?” Greg asked.  
“Three so far. This was not a kidnapping, which is what I know you are thinking. There is no sign of a struggle, not a single thing out of place in this room, not even anything on her vanity knocked over, which something would be if the kidnapper had startled her. No, Jennifer left of her own volition, and she was planning to do so from the looks of it. Costumes, missing from her closet but carefully chosen as it is obvious that all her outfits are arranged in a certain order. However, the hangers are still there, indicating she actually took the time to take them down and pack them. Also, there are ring marks on the vanity, probably from perfume bottles and other beauty products, ones she took with her, indicating that she planned on being gone awhile. There are wheel marks in the carpet over there where a suitcase had been sitting, probably for at least a week or two since the indents are still there. However, it is unlikely that a dancer would just keep a random case in her dressing room. No, this was a planned trip. But she did leave in a hurry after the show, since her light was left on and door left wide open. There is a also a scuff mark from where one of the wheels of the case hit the door as she left in haste. Perhaps, she was leaving to catch a flight and was afraid she wouldn’t make it. Not likely though since the way her room is organized indicates an obsessive compulsive personality and such a person would always allow for extra time in case something unexpected came up. No, she left last night in hurry. But she still had time to place the rose, indicating that it has some significance. The question is what. What does the rose tell us?”  
“How do you know she’s the one that left the rose?” Lestrade asked.  
“Glitter, on the stem. Matches the glitter on the light switch, the one that she turned on but forgot to turn off. The same glitter from the costume she was wearing last night as indicated by the tag on the outfit in the closet. If she was kidnapped and it was the kidnapper who left the rose, there would be no glitter on the stem because she had already taken the costume off. No, she left the rose, leaving the glitter on it after putting away her costume. Then she left in a hurry. So what made her leave?”  
Lestrade just looked at Sherlock, still amazed no matter how many times he had seen him do it. Sherlock nodded at his girlfriend, who followed him out of the room. Together, they headed to St. Bart’s to see what they could find out about the rose.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Alice made her way over to New Scotland Yard; Greg had left his lunch on the counter that morning. He had been so stressed out lately with a few new cases that had arisen, including one where two girls had mysteriously gone missing. Alice wished she could do more for him, but she knew he appreciated her just being there. She knocked on the door as she entered his office and a smile spread across his face, although it wasn’t enough to erase the stress lines between his eyes.  
“I brought you your lunch,” Alice said, sitting on the edge of his desk, “I figured it would be easier to bring it here than you having to go out and get some.”  
“Thank you so much, dear. I really appreciate it. I am so swamped today and Donovan and Anderson have not been making my job any easier with their constant interruptions to complain about Sherlock and Anne.”  
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something more that I could do to make you feel better. I hate seeing you so stressed, my love.”  
“Thanks. It is just a busy time right now; I’m sure it will settle down soon. I feel bad that I haven’t been home that much. I’ve been working late and then when I do get home, I’m too tired to do anything but sleep. You deserve more than that.”  
“It’s okay. I understand. Besides, I have several articles I am working on right now and those keep me pretty occupied.”  
“I still feel bad.”  
Lestrade sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples in an attempt to get rid of the headache that had been a constant presence all day. Alice suddenly had an idea.  
“So, when is your lunch break?”  
“Well, whenever I feel like taking it really.”  
“How about you take a break now?” Alice said, going over to the door and locking it, before closing the blinds that Greg had installed on the window at the front of his office in an attempt to stop people from bothering him so much.  
“What are you doing?” Greg inquired with a confused look on his face.  
Alice just smiled at him, walking behind his desk and shutting the blinds on the window behind him. She then slowly approached his chair, straddling his lap.  
“Well, there has been a tried and true method of relieving headaches over the ages but I feel it is one we will want privacy for,” she said, leaning down to kiss down his neck as she ran her fingers in his hair. His breath hitched as he brought her lips to his, kissing her passionately as his hands ran up and down the back of her silky, red blouse. She pulled away from him, staring him straight in the eyes with a devilish smirk on her lips, as she began slowly unbuttoning her top. He reached out his hands to take over but she pushed him away, shaking her head at him; his eyes were wide as he watched her fingers move over the buttons,  
“Wow, I think I like this aggressive side of you.”  
“Good,” she replied as she finished undoing her top, pushing the blouse over her shoulders and tossing it aside. She then removed his jacket and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Once both of those garments were gone, she leaned in to kiss down his chest, running her tongue over his collarbone as she held his wrists down on the chair, not allowing him to touch her yet; she could feel his great excitement through his trousers beneath her. She kissed him passionately again before standing up and removing her grey pencil skirt as he stood up and removed his trousers. She sat back down in his lap, grinding her hips against his and kissing him again, dipping her tongue into his mouth. She moved his hands to a spot on her lower back, grinning against his lips. With this permission given, he moved his fingers across the spot, drawing a moan from her lips, and it wasn’t long before the rest of their garments were removed and Greg’s headache was quickly cured.  
After awhile, Alice emerged from Greg’s office, giving him one last kiss goodbye as she smoothed her hair and headed down the hall. Donovan took a look at her, a sneer crossing her face,  
“That’s not very professional you know.”  
Alice paused; normally, she would just ignore the snooty woman but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. Looking Donovan square in the eyes, Alice replied,  
“Sally, please don’t take it out on me simply because the only sex you get is...well...disappointing...at best.”  
She finished with a pointed glance at Anderson, the insipid man with whom Sally was having an affair, and walked down the hallway. Anderson and Sally exchanged an awkward glance and quickly went their separate ways.


	7. Chapter 7

Anne and Sherlock were pacing the flat, trying to figure out any possible reason for the dancer’s disappearance. Analysis of the rose hadn’t given them anything useful aside from confirming that it was, in fact, Jennifer Monroe, that had placed the rose there; no one else had touched it, aside from the florist. They had gone to speak with the florist but he confirmed that Jennifer had purchased the rose herself, although he thought it odd that she only wanted one. Further interviews hadn’t indicated anyone who might have a grudge against her; no ex-boyfriends, no debts, no squabbles with any of the other dancers. It seemed a dead end. Her family hadn’t heard from her in days and no one had spotted her anymore; she was just gone.  
“Should we check flight and train records again?” Anne asked.  
“No, we already did that!” Sherlock said, frustrated, “No one by that name purchased any tickets. Nor was there any flight or train that would have left that night in the time frame that Jennifer vanished. The only logical conclusion is that she is still here in the city somewhere.”  
“Maybe she drove somewhere.”  
“That is a possibility, yes. We need to nail down a motive. If we have a motive, we can possibly locate where she would have gone.”  
Anne flopped down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Sherlock joined her shortly, putting his arms around her as she turned to face him.  
“Could it be we are reading too much into this?” she asked.  
“What do you mean?”  
“I mean, maybe she just ran away. Maybe the other girl from the dance troupe inspired her in some way and she decided to leave too. Maybe she’s not even gone for good and she will come back after she clears her head or something like that.”  
“Then why the rose?”  
“I don’t know. Maybe that was just her way of saying goodbye because she couldn’t actually handle telling people face-to-face.”  
“Well that seems illogical.”  
“It’s sentiment so of course it is.”  
Sherlock sighed and leaned his head down onto Anne’s chest; Anne ran her fingers through his curls.  
“Maybe we’re just trying to see a case where there isn’t one because we’re bored,” she said.  
“Yes...everyone is just being so ordinary right now,” Sherlock replied, pressing a kiss to Anne’s skin before lifting his head to look at her, “Where’s John?”  
“He said he was staying at Danielle’s place tonight.”  
“Danielle? Who’s Danielle?”  
“His girlfriend? You met her the other night? Blonde hair?”  
“Oh right. The interior decorator with the smoking habit and the cats.”  
“Yeah, that’s her.”  
“So we have the place to ourselves tonight?”  
“Yeah, I guess so,” Anne said, noticing the evil glint in his eyes, “I don’t think I want to know what you are thinking right now.”  
“Go into the bedroom, handcuff yourself to the bed, and wait for me. Leave your clothes on.”  
Anne just gave him a look, remembering how last time she was left attached to the bed for hours. Sherlock just looked at her expectantly,  
“I promise I will be in there shortly.”  
Wondering if she would regret the decision, Anne finally got off the couch and did as he instructed. Moments later, Sherlock entered the room, smiling at her on the bed before straddling her, still dressed in his purple button-down shirt and black trousers. He leaned down and kissed her slowly, erotically. She returned his kiss, releasing a huff of protest when he drew away from her suddenly. A wicked smirk crossed his face as he slowly ran his tongue along the skin below her ear, his teasing causing Anne to pull against the handcuffs, wanting more. He pulled away again, reaching over to the nightstand, grabbing an object that Anne hadn’t even noticed him bring in,  
“You are not particularly fond of this shirt, are you?” Sherlock said, holding up a scalpel, the light from the lamp glinting off it.  
Anne swallowed hard as she nodded “no”. Sherlock then slowly slipped the scalpel to the bottom of her t-shirt, sliding up the fabric, cutting it open. He performed the same careful treatment on her sleeves, removing the pieces of her shirt and tossing them on the floor. Setting the scalpel down again, he leaned down to kiss her passionately, his fingers tracing over her skin.  
“Now,” Sherlock began, returning his lips to her ear, “you are well aware that I have extensive knowledge of human anatomy. Tonight, I intend to explore every single one of the most sensitive areas on your body.”  
He ran his tongue along her ear then bit down hard, drawing a moan from Anne’s lips as she arched up against him.  
“Consider it an experiment,” he whispered against her neck before moving back to her lips, “to see what reactions I can draw from you.”  
He then outlined her lips with his tongue before slipping it inside to tangle with hers. Drawing away again, he then kissed slowly along her jaw, down her neck, and to her chest. He kissed along her cleavage, reaching over again for the scalpel which he then used to cut open her bra, tossing it aside and moving his fingers to its place. Anne was breathing heavily at this point as Sherlock ran his tongue over her chest, grinding his hips into hers, his own excitement obvious. He began kissing lower, reaching one hand up to pull roughly on her hair as he made his way down her stomach, pulling her pajama pants a bit lower as he placed kisses on her hipbones. Finally looking up at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, he said,  
“And maybe, when I am done and...content...with the results, shall we say, you can experiment with me.”  
Anne gasped as Sherlock tugged harshly on her hair again as he ravished her mouth, before removing her pajama pants and continuing with his explorations.


	8. Chapter 8

About a week later, the flat at Baker Street was filled with the happy couples. John and Danielle were cuddled in one chair, Greg and Alice were in the other chair, while Sherlock and Anne were managing to take up the entire couch with Sherlock’s arms around her middle. Conversation was pleasant and Danielle was not even acting strange about Sherlock and Anne’s inappropriate physical behavior, acting as if Sherlock tracing circles and running his fingers over Anne’s chest was completely normal, much to John’s delight. Danielle was just getting up to get the group more tea when Lestrade’s phone went off.  
“Detective Inspector Lestrade...yes...alright, we’ll be right there.”  
He got off the phone and signaled to Anne and Sherlock, who immediately jumped up from the couch and went for their coats. The three of them then left quickly, heading for the club again, leaving three fairly confused people sitting in the flat. Moments later, the cab was pulling up to the entrance and the three passengers got out, following the owner of the club and the dance troupe, Veronica Messenger, into the back and to another dressing room. Veronica directed the burlesque troupe and was distraught over the loss of yet another one of her girls; once she had shown the detective the room, she vanished to fix herself a strong drink. Sherlock and Anne entered the dressing room, surveying it and looking for clues. Unlike the other, this room was in complete disarray, as if a hurricane had struck. Costumes lay strewn about and makeup was spilled over the top of the white vanity. Lestrade looked over some notes handed to him by one of the police as Anne and Sherlock both put on gloves and continued exploring.   
“Jessica Balentino, stage name of Lemon Drop, vanished before the second part of the show last night. According to a stage hand, her music went on but she never appeared.”   
Lestrade looked up from the notes and surveyed the room as well,  
“Well it looks like these are kidnappings after all. Just look at the state of this room. Clearly Jessica put up a struggle.”  
Anne looked up from her examination of the vanity, sighing loudly,  
“Greg, once more you see but do not observe. There was no struggle in this room. If there was a struggle, there would be things broken, furniture moved but everything is still in its location and intact.”  
“How do you know the furniture hasn’t been moved?”  
“Look at this carpet. It used to be white but is now more of a tan color. Why? Because the maid or the cleaners could not get in here to clean very often because of just how messy Ms. Balentino is. Therefore, if the furniture had been pushed out of the way during a struggle, we would see clear marks on the carpet where it maintained its original color beneath the furniture. And since we don’t see any of those marks and it is highly unlikely a kidnapper would come back into the dressing room to right furniture, there was no struggle that occurred. The mess in this room is caused by Jessica herself. Just look. Trash wrappers all over the place, spilled make up, no organization in her closet, random outfits thrown about. No. This is the natural state of the room. Once again it appears Ms. Balentino left of her own volition. However, she did leave in a hurry, so whatever caused her departure must have been urgent. She vanished before even finishing the show, leaving this behind.”  
Anne delicately picked up the rose on the vanity, the same ribbon and name tag attached to it. She placed it in the evidence bag and removed her gloves.  
“Lestrade, these are definitely more than disappearances and they are all connected somehow. However, no one seems willing to tell us anything and secrets are definitely being kept. Unless we do something a bit more desperate, we are going to have more than just missing dancers on our hands; we might start finding bodies.”  
“Well, what do you suggest we do?”  
“I don’t know yet. Sherlock, we need to think.”  
Sherlock nodded his head in agreement and followed his girlfriend outside, jumping into a cab with her and heading towards Baker Street; it would be three days of thinking and pondering without rest before John finally made them get some sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Lestrade and Alice sat in Baker Street, looking at each other in confusion. Both of them had been called by Anne and told to meet there; she had sounded excited on the phone and that honestly had both Greg and Alice worried. After a moment, both Sherlock and Anne emerged from the kitchen. Sherlock sat down in one of the chairs and pulled Anne into his lap, immediately slipping his hands just beneath the bottom of her t-shirt to rest on her stomach. The other couple tried to ignore this action and focused instead on Anne.  
“So, what’s going on?” Alice asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.  
“Well, Sherlock and I have been doing a lot of thinking about this case and since we can’t get straight answers from anyone, we have both decided that the best way to get a lead on this is to go undercover.”  
“You’re going to work at the club?” Greg asked, a look of confusion on his face.  
“Better. I’m going to join the burlesque troupe as a dancer. Actually, both Alice and I.”  
“Now wait a minute...” Lestrade protested but Anne held up a finger to silence him.  
“Listen, I know you don’t want her working on cases but she is imperative to this. No one at the club has seen her before and she has the dancing talent they will be looking for in auditions. I talked to Ms. Messenger and she automatically agreed to let me be a dancer to help the case but she does need people who can actually dance so I volunteered Alice. She has both the experience and the body for it.”  
Greg looked at his girlfriend questioningly,  
“You have dancing experience?”  
“Well...sort of. Obviously not this type of dancing but I have done ballroom for years and was deeply involved in a hip hop club all throughout university.”  
“The body isolation skills she picked up in the hip hop style will easily translate over and she can teach me in the areas where I am lacking.”  
Both Greg and Alice looked at each other, having a silent conversation about this situation, when suddenly Greg asked Anne,  
“How do you expect these dancers to not recognize you after you’ve been over there investigating and interviewing?”  
“Simple. They didn’t see very much of me in the first place. Plus, I am going to be dying my hair black and altering my appearance somewhat.”  
“Ok,” Alice finally agreed, “I’ll do this. But only because you are my best friend. And only because I am worried about those girls.”  
“Great. Now, I have several potential outfits downstairs for us to look at and then you can start teaching me some of the dance knowledge I will need to know.”  
The girls headed out of 221B and headed down into the basement where Anne resided at 221C Baker Street. They started going through the various clothing articles spread about the room and talking about stage names and personalities. Back upstairs, Greg ran his fingers through his gray hair; he hated the idea of his girlfriend getting involved in a case where three girls had already gone missing. In the past, she had been a part of several run-ins with the infamous consulting criminal, Jim Moriarty, and he wanted to keep her safe from all that. Not to mention, he was less than thrilled about the idea of Alice parading around in front of a bunch of men wearing very little fabric. The whole thing made his stomach upset honestly.  
“How does this not bother you?” he asked Sherlock, who was now standing by the window, fiddling with his violin.  
“What should I be bothered about?”  
“Your girlfriend...dancing around scantily clad in front of tons of people every night...”  
Sherlock just looked at him blankly, confused as to why this should even be an issue.  
“I don’t understand the problem; it is necessary for the case.”  
“Oh never mind. You and Anne are not normal.”  
Sherlock shrugged and returned to his music while Greg went into the kitchen to make some tea. After awhile, Greg had to head to the office and ran downstairs to tell Alice that he would see her at home later that night. For the remainder of the afternoon, Anne and Alice worked on the case and Sherlock played his music, staring out the window and ignoring the slight knot in his stomach; he would never let anyone know how bothered he was actually feeling.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Anne and Alice went to the club to see Ms. Messenger and figure out the logistics of them going undercover with the troupe. After much discussion and Alice demonstrating her dancing abilities, it was decided that Alice would be joining the vintage performance group under the stage name Sugar Kane. Anne, on the other hand, would be part of the more edgy, modern group with the name Licorice Whip. The two groups performed on different nights so one of the girls would always be available to keep an eye or ear out for anything suspicious instead of both of them being preoccupied with costume changes. Once the details were settled, both girls were sent to costuming and then to rehearsals.   
Later that night, Alice was changing into one of her costumes to show Greg. He was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels, when she emerged in what was meant to be her signature costume. It was an all white ensemble; the top was made of sheer lace with pearls decorating the thin cups barely containing her chest while the bottoms were a simple white bikini overlaid with a tiny, sheer lace, skirt. Her outfit would also include two white fans eventually but she didn’t have those yet. Alice approached her boyfriend on the couch and his eyes opened in amazement.  
“Wow,” he said, staring at her, “you look incredible.”  
“Thanks,” she said, twirling around, causing the lace of her skirt to swish.  
Greg reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his lap. One hand reached behind her neck and pulled her lips down to his; he kissed her deeply as she sighed into his mouth, her hands running in his grey hair. When they finally broke apart, he looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked.  
“You look so incredibly sexy right now and it bothers me to think of all those strange men leering at you. Plus, I worry about your safety.”  
Alice leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips before replying.  
“I know. I’m not entirely comfortable with it either but Anne and Sherlock need me. Plus this might be the only way to keep these girls safe.”  
Greg sighed,   
“I suppose you’re right. I will be so happy when this case is resolved. Plus, then I will not be so busy and we can make up for lost time.”  
Alice giggled as Greg moved his lips to her neck, kissing a line down it while she ran her fingers across his chest and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Just then, there was a knock at the door.  
“Oh, I bet that’s Anne. She said she might stop by so I could help her with her routine.”  
She extracted herself from Greg’s lap and headed towards the door, but instead of Anne, Alice found herself face to face with an older woman she had never seen before. She had fake red hair and wore a black pencil skirt with a low-cut blue blouse. After judgmentally taking in Alice’s appearance, the stranger said,   
“Excuse me but is Greg Lestrade here?”  
Greg jumped off the couch, a horrified look on his face.   
“Deborah?”  
“Hello darling,” the woman said, pushing past Alice and going over to Greg. She placed a big kiss on his shocked lips,   
“Did you miss me?”  
Alice just looked on in surprise at the scene playing out before her; who was this woman and what gave her the right to just walk in and kiss Greg like that? Lestrade, still in shock, pushed the woman away.  
“No, I can’t say I missed you at all,” he said, wiping her kiss off his lips, “Deborah, what are you doing here?”  
“Well, I just wanted to see you, darling.”   
“Stop calling me that. We got divorced, remember?”  
Alice looked over at Deborah; so this was the ex-wife. Suddenly, Alice found herself fighting a strong urge to rip this woman’s hair out. Deborah moved back towards Greg, placing a hand on his arm.  
“That was just a silly misunderstanding. I’ve come back now so we can just pick up where we left off.”  
Greg pulled his arm away from her grasp and went over to Alice, pulling her close to him.  
“No, Deborah, we can’t. I’m with someone else now and she is completely wonderful.”  
Deborah glanced over Alice once again, taking in her outfit and young age.   
“You’re dating a stripper?” she asked snidely.  
“She’s not a stripper!” Greg yelled at her; Alice looked embarrassed and offended at the same time. Deborah just rolled her eyes, replying,  
“Well, whatever she is, you’ve clearly downgraded.”  
“You left me for a P.E. teacher!”  
“Yes...well...” Deborah replied, suddenly unable to meet his gaze.  
“Wait a minute...did he leave you? Is that why you came back? The man you cheated on me with cheated on you? Well pardon me if I have no sympathy.”  
“It doesn’t matter. I’m willing to take you back now.”  
“I already told you, I’m with Alice now. So, if you could kindly leave our flat.”  
“You both live here?”  
“Yes. We live together. I’m very serious about her. And I love her. Now please leave.”  
Deborah glared at Alice once more, making her way out.  
“This isn’t over,” she said, slamming the door behind her.  
“Good riddance,” Greg said, turning towards Alice and scooping her up in his arms.   
“Now, where were we?” he asked, carrying her off to the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

That same night, Anne stood in her and Sherlock’s bedroom, looking at her costume in the mirror; she was not one to usually consider her outward appearance but even she had to admit she looked hot as hell in this outfit. The black, leather, half-corset was open in the middle, displaying the sides of her ample chest. The bottom part, an inappropriately short mini-skirt, was also made of black leather. The whole ensemble was completed by black garters attached to sheer, black, fishnet stockings and was topped off with dangerous-looking black stilettos. She was meant to start her highlight routine decked out in black leather jacket, leather gloves, and other various leather items but this is the outfit she would complete the dance in; she would also be utilizing Sherlock’s riding crop, which she now held in her hand as she analyzed her appearance. The black hair was definitely a nice touch; she was completely unrecognizable from the woman who had interviewed some of the dancers only a few weeks earlier.  
Anne was just beginning to bend over and remove the heels when Sherlock entered the room. For a moment, he just stared at her, taking in her appearance. Then suddenly, he crossed the room quickly, wrapping his long fingers behind the back of her neck and bringing her lips to his in a crushing kiss, his tongue instantly tangling with hers as he walked her backwards, pushing her back onto the bed. His hands ran along the leather of her costume as he slowly grabbed the riding crop from her fingers. Once it was in his possession, he quickly put it to good use, running it along the line made by the garter belt and suddenly bringing it down quickly on her exposed flesh. Anne yelped in surprise and Sherlock just smirked down at her as he brought it down on her again. Spurred on by his actions, Anne grabbed the edges of Sherlock’s white shirt, pulling him down on top of her and kissing him passionately. She was breathing heavily, begging him for more contact as he worked the buckles and laces of her outfit, quickly removing the entirety of the outfit and utilizing the riding crop further.  
Hours later, sweaty and exhausted, Sherlock and Anne lay in bed, tangled together beneath the sheets with her head on his chest, tracing circles and patterns on his bare chest with her fingers,  
“So,” she began, “that was a rather unique reaction from you. Care to explain?”  
“I’m not really sure. Something about that outfit you were wearing spurred something in me.”  
“Well, I am definitely not complaining. That was incredible.”  
“Is that the outfit you will be wearing for your dance routine?”  
“Yeah...my stage name in Licorice Whip, a bit cheesy if you ask me.”  
Sherlock was silent, something incredibly unusual for him.   
“You okay?” Anne asked, raising herself up from his chest and looking into his eyes.  
“I’m fine.”  
“Are you actually bothered by me being a dancer? By the fact that strange men will be watching me dance in a skimpy outfit?”  
“Why would that bother me?”  
“Because you love me.”  
Sherlock didn’t reply but looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze. Anne reached her hand down, directing his gaze back to her.  
“Sherlock, it’s okay. I love you too. I know that you and I both hate the idea of sentimentality; we know it is not an advantage. However, it is also not voluntary. As hard as one might try, one can’t prevent themselves from caring about someone. I love you and I am yours completely; you know that.”  
He finally looked up at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes,  
“Well I would feel better if I made that clear to the world,” he said.  
Anne gave him a confused look which quickly disappeared as Sherlock began to cover her with his marks, sucking on her skin and drawing blood to the surface, assuring anyone who saw her that she was his woman and he was her man.


	12. Chapter 12

The next night, Alice and Anne were at the club; it was Alice’s night to perform but Anne made sure she was at the club as well, mingling among both the audience and the dancers backstage, looking for any signs of suspicious behavior. Since this was her first time performing, Greg was in the audience, looking even more nervous than Alice felt. Sherlock was sitting next to him, thinking it was probably a good idea to be there and keep an eye out for clues as well. However, he knew he couldn’t actually interact with Anne. Greg and Sherlock sat at the table, watching the other dancers, as Greg drank several martinis to calm his nerves. Alice danced a few group numbers in costumes he hadn’t seen yet and they looked fantastic on her, which is something that Greg knew did not go unnoticed by the other men in the club. Finally, an announcer came on stage,  
“Ladies and gentleman, it is my honor to present a brand new dancer to our stage tonight. She’s precious and pocket-sized, bound to get your hearts racing. I present to you: Sugar Kane!”  
Alice emerged on stage, holding two giant white fans covered in feathers, one in front of her and one behind her. The music started and she began dancing around the stage, waving her fans suggestively, revealing just peeks of her outfit underneath. The men whistled and cheered as Greg squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. He had to admit she was amazing on stage, incredibly talented and charismatic, but it would be difficult for him to get through this case; he wondered if Sherlock would be having as much trouble.  
After the show, Alice was backstage with a few of the other dancers from her group, changing into her regular clothes. She had gotten to know several of them during rehearsals and they really were a fun group of people. They were just talking about going to grab food when Greg appeared in the hallway outside the dressing rooms. He walked over to Alice, grabbed her, and kissed her deeply.   
“You were wonderful tonight, love.”  
“Thank you. Hey, I think some of the girls and I are going to grab some food. But I will be home later?”  
“That sounds good. I love you.”  
“I love you too.”  
Lestrade walked back down the hallway and out to meet Sherlock. However, his path back was suddenly blocked by Deborah.   
“That’s the girl you’re in love with?”  
“What are you doing here?! How did you even know about this place?”  
“I have my sources.”  
“It was Anderson, wasn’t it? He told you where Alice and I’s flat was too, didn’t he?”  
She didn’t reply, confirming Greg’s suspicions. It wasn’t a secret to Lestrade that his wife had had an affair with Anderson a few years back; it was the start of all their problems really. And since the affair, the two had remained good friends, keeping the secrets they shared and giving Greg more headaches than he cared to discuss. And now he was causing problems again.  
“Deborah, I need you to leave me alone. I have somewhere to be right now.”  
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me. Are you honestly going to tell me that you want this girl, this scantily-clad tramp, over me?”  
“Oi! Watch what you say about her! She is not a tramp; it’s not like this is her regular job.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Listen, I can’t talk about it here. I need to meet Sherlock. Now, get out of my way.”  
“No! Not until we talk.”  
Greg sighed, resigning himself to the fact that she would never leave him alone until he sat down and talked with her. He went to tell Sherlock that he wouldn’t be able to go back to Baker Street with him and Anne and then met up with Deborah, heading with her to a pub they used to frequent years ago. Once they were seated in a booth and sipping on drinks, he explained to Deborah everything from how he met Alice to the case they were currently working on.  
“And you love her?”  
“Yes. Very much.”  
“As much as you loved me?”  
“Now that’s not a fair question. You were my first love and there is always something significant and lasting about that. But we grew apart. You cheated on me, repeatedly. It took me a long time to get over losing you after the divorce. But then I met Alice, and I love her. I want to be with her.”  
“But you do still love me?”  
“No, I don’t. You will always be important to me in some way. But that doesn’t mean I love you. Now, I think you need to pack your bags and leave. Get out of my life.”  
“You don’t really mean that.”  
“I do. I gave you many chances in the past and you blew all of them. It’s time for you to accept that and move on.”   
A dark look came over Deborah’s eyes as she downed the rest of her drink and stood up.  
“I’m not leaving Greg. We had something once and I don’t believe for a second that you care about this girl more than you cared about me. You will see me again.”  
And with that, she left the pub, leaving Greg staring after her. Why did she have to come back into his life? He loved Alice; he knew he did. So why was he so confused right now? It’s true that Deborah had been his first love, since the first time he laid eyes on her their first year at University. But she had cheated on him, left him. He was through with her and wanted nothing to do with her. Right?


	13. Chapter 13

Sherlock and Anne finally arrived back at Baker Street, both a bit irritated that Lestrade had blown them off for Deborah. They sat comparing notes of what they had observed at the club but nothing seemed out of place.   
“I didn’t see any suspicious patrons,” Anne said, “Really they were all very easy to deduce.”  
“It’s true. Not much variety in burlesque club patrons it seems.”  
“So whatever is causing these girls to leave in such a hurry is not coming from the patrons.”  
“Precisely.”  
“Perhaps it is coming from one of the dancers? We will need to talk to Alice and see if she learned anything talking to the other girls tonight.”  
As if summoned, Alice entered the flat, looking a bit distraught.   
“Is Greg here?” she asked, sounding weary and worried at the same time.  
“No, I believe he is off with Deborah,” Sherlock said from his supine position on the couch, his hands pressed together beneath his chin as he contemplated the case.  
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Alice said, turning to leave the flat.  
“Did you learn anything about the missing girls tonight?” Anne asked, pacing the flat.  
“What?...oh no, not really. They didn’t honestly say much about them; probably don’t want to scare off the new girl.”  
“That makes sense I guess.”  
“There was one girl who seemed to give me the cold shoulder once she found out that I was dating the Detective Inspector, but I’m not sure that means anything.”  
“Well, we will keep that in mind. Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome. Did Greg mention where he and Deborah were going by chance?”  
By this point, Anne had joined Sherlock on the couch and was laying face-to-face with him, deep in contemplation. Seeing that she wasn’t going to get an answer from them, Alice turned to leave, saying a brief hello to John on her way out the door.   
When she got back to her flat, Greg still wasn’t there. It was late and she was really beginning to worry. She knew that Deborah should really not be a threat to her. Not only had she cheated on Greg but she was also the one behind the divorce. But Alice knew that she had been Greg’s first love and that is not something a person can get over easily, especially after being married for years. Would her sudden presence back in Greg’s life cause him to leave her? After awhile, Alice was too tired to keep her eyes open and crawled into bed. It was only several hours later when she felt her boyfriend join her in bed, reeking of booze. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, kissing her shoulder and muttering an apology before quickly drifting off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The next night, it was Anne’s turn to perform. Much like the night before, Greg and Sherlock were sitting at a table, this time joined by John. Alice was hanging out backstage with a few of the girls, watching the show from back there while she tried to learn anything she could about the missing girls and their relationship to the rest of the group. Also, she didn’t particularly feel like being with Greg. Although they had talked some stuff out that morning and he claimed he had told Deborah to leave town, she felt there was still something there, a confusion her boyfriend was refusing to deal with. Eventually the time arrived for Anne’s dance and she stepped on stage, dressed in leather from head to toe, riding crop in hand. The music began and Anne started to dancing, gyrating to the music, using the riding crop at first as a prop then tossing it away and beginning to remove the clothes. When she got down to the corset, mini skirt, and garters, John and Greg just stared at her in shock; never in a million years would they have imagined she was able to dance like that and dress like that. Grabbing the riding crop again, Anne laid on the floor in her finishing pose, dragging the leather of the crop against her leg and beaming at the crowd. Sherlock was sitting at the table, beaming. Although he had had some issues with her dancing at first, he realized that Anne would always be his and her dancing was actually an opportunity for him to show off what an incredible woman he had.   
Anne made her way off stage and back to the dressing rooms. After the show, some of the girls invited her out for drinks with them and, after sending a quick text to Sherlock, she eagerly joined them, hoping to get some information out of them. She casually asked them over cocktails about the missing girls, about rivalries in the group, ex-boyfriends, anything that might be a threat. But nothing seemed out of place.  
“Those girls were great dancers and really fun to be around,” one dancer named Stacey said, “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt them or anything.”  
“It’s true,” another dancer named Angelique said, “honestly, there is very little threat to Miss Messenger’s dance troupe in general. Well...except...”   
“Except what?” Anne asked.  
“Except the new dance troupe that Miss Messenger’s ex-boyfriend recently started across town. The dancers are supposedly amazing and it is becoming more and more popular. Especially since our little group is now being surrounded with all this media controversy and such.”  
“That makes sense. Huh. Well, this has been fun but I must be off.”  
Anne quickly paid for her drinks, waved goodbye to the girls, and vanished out the door; she needed to speak with Sherlock immediately. They might have just found the key to their case and, somehow, it reeked of Moriarty.


	15. Chapter 15

Excited about her discovery, Anne rushed up the stairs and into 221B. There, she discovered Alice sitting and chatting with John and Danielle; Sherlock was in the kitchen, working on an experiment. Going over to him, Anne turned his face to her and kissed him deeply and passionately. When she finally pulled away, Sherlock just gave her a look of confusion.  
“You will never believe what I learned tonight; we might finally have a break in our case!”  
Sherlock put down the body part he was cutting into and looked at her, waiting for her to go on.  
“So, apparently there is brand new burlesque club that recently opened up and it is taking away a lot of business from The Candy Shop, especially with all the bad press they have been getting with the missing girls. Anyway, that is not the interesting part. This club was started by Ms. Messenger’s ex-boyfriend!”  
“Are you suggesting he kidnapped these girls to take business away from his ex-girlfriend?”  
Anne just gave Sherlock a look of complete exasperation,  
“No...we already know they aren’t kidnappings. I think that this guy is somehow making the girls leave the club, driving them away somehow. Maybe he is threatening them or black-mailing them. Who knows? Honestly, this entire thing reeks of Moriarty; only he could be clever enough to make these disappearances look like runaways.”  
The consulting detective just stared at his girlfriend for a moment then returned to his experiment.  
“It’s a nice theory but you’re wrong; this isn’t Moriarty.”  
Upon hearing Sherlock saying Anne was wrong, John, Danielle, and Alice made a quick retreat from the flat, fearing the argument that was sure to ensue in just moments. Anne, being exactly like Sherlock, could deal with almost anything except being told she was wrong, especially by her boyfriend.  
“What do you mean I’m wrong?!” Anne said, her voice rising in volume.  
“I mean, this is obviously not Moriarty; it doesn’t fit his pattern at all.”  
“Sherlock! He is a consulting criminal! Since when does he have a pattern?”  
“Ever since he first started his game with me, all the cases are somehow connected to me, to bring me down. This one has no connection at all; he probably doesn’t even know I’m involved with this case. It isn’t him.”  
“Are you kidding me right now? His last case, the poetry murders, wasn’t about you; it was focused on me.”  
“Yes, because you are my girlfriend. This isn’t him.”  
“Not everything is about you, Sherlock!” Anne said, yelling at this point and getting even more frustrated that through all this Sherlock hadn’t even bothered to look up from his experiment.  
“With Moriarty, yes it is,” he replied, adjusting the knobs on his microscope. Frustrated, Anne threw her hands up in exasperation and went to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. It wasn’t like her to get this upset over something, especially over a disagreement with her boyfriend because those happened frequently. But he had told her she was wrong and that was crossing a line. Anne stripped off her clothes and climbed into bed, curling into a fetal position, sulking. A few hours later, Sherlock joined her, naturally turning towards her and wrapping his arms around her middle. But Anne was having none it. She got out of bed and headed for the couch, grabbing the sheet from the bed in a final act of vindictiveness.


	16. Chapter 16

The next few weeks passed quickly and no one was any closer to solving the case. Fortunately, no more girls had vanished and Anne was beginning to believe that her first theory was dead on and that Moriarty was onto them. However, the lack of girls disappearing had Sherlock even more convinced that he was the correct one and that the missing girls were nothing important. This disagreement caused much tension between them, to the point that Anne was exacting her revenge by messing up Sherlock’s experiments in between rehearsals and performances. And they were not the only ones having relationship issues; things continued to remain strained between Greg and Alice over the ex-wife issue, and them both being so busy all the time was not helping anything. Greg spent most of his time at the office, working on cases and avoiding Deborah as much as possible while Alice devoted her time to rehearsals and performances.   
One night, after her performance, Alice decided to stick around for awhile and have a few drinks. She was just sitting down at the bar when the bartender handed her a drink.  
“I haven’t ordered yet,” she said, giving him a confused look.  
“It’s from Mr. Spearman,” the bartender said, indicating to an attractive gentleman in a suit sitting at the end of the bar. He had dark brown hair and hazel eyes flecked with gold. After beaming a breathtaking smile towards her, Mr. Spearman walked down the bar and joined Alice, taking the stool next to her.  
“Hi, I’m Jackson.”  
“Alice,” she replied, briefly wondering if she should have given her real name at the risk of putting the case in danger. Jackson just smiled at her again,  
“I’m glad you told me your real name; I was afraid I was going to have to call you ‘Sugar’ all night.”  
Alice laughed and took a sip of her drink; it was an amaretto sour, her favorite.  
“Thank you for the drink.”  
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I have a chance to actually talk to you. I really enjoy watching you dance.”  
“Um...thanks,” she replied, blushing deep red.  
“So what do you do for a living? Or is this it?”  
“No, I write occasional articles for a vintage fashion magazine.”  
“That’s great. I wish I had writing talent.”  
“What is it you do, Jackson?”  
“Oh, nothing as exciting as writing or dancing; I’m a CEO at a company that specializes in vocal recognition software.”  
“Well that sounds pretty impressive to me.”  
“Thank you.”  
Jackson and Alice sat around for the next few hours, enjoying drinks and chatting. Eventually, it was getting late and Alice knew she should get home to Greg, not that he would be there; she was always asleep by the time he joined her in bed lately. The attractive businessman walked her out to the curb and hailed a cab for her. He opened the door, helped her inside and left her with a kiss on her cheek.  
“I will see you soon I hope, Alice.”  
Alice, unsure of how to react to both the kiss and the fact that this man was hitting on her, just nodded her head and smiled as he closed the door. On her way home, her stomach felt like a mess of knots; why did she enjoy that attention so much and why did she want to see him again?


	17. Chapter 17

The next week was full anxiety for both couples. Greg kept trying to dissuade the constant advances of his ex-wife but he was getting more confused as she kept reminding him of the good parts of their marriage by doing things such as bringing his favorite lunch to his office. Alice was also dealing with her own confusion. She knew she loved Greg with all her heart and because of this, she didn’t want to keep him from being with Deborah if he truly loved her. And she certainly didn’t want to be second choice. Also, Jackson was now in the picture and it made her more confused. He was so sweet to her, doing things like sending flowers to her dressing room or having a drink waiting for her at the end of the night. Honestly, it reminded her of when she and Greg had first started dating and he doted upon her. How had things gotten this way between them so quickly? Perhaps moving in together had been a mistake.  
Sherlock and Anne were having continued problems as well. Both of them were incredibly stubborn people and Anne refused to make up with him unless he apologized, which he refused to do. The result was Anne constantly sulking around the flat and ruining Sherlock’s experiments causing him to riddle the abused wall with angry bullet holes. John had been trying to carefully side-step the peeved couple but one day, he decided he had had enough. Sherlock had just opened the microwave to check on one of his experiments and discovered that Anne had moved his labels around. She was sitting smugly on the couch as she heard him open the door of the appliance when he suddenly appeared around the corner with his gun and shot a hole in the wall right above her head.   
“Hey!” she yelled, angry rather than scared.  
Sherlock was yelling back at her while she tried to talk over him when John came running down the stairs from his room.  
“That is enough!” he yelled, silencing the couple, “Your bickering is driving me mad. And you know what? You are both being stupid. Yes, I said it, stupid.”  
Sherlock and Anne both cast him dirty looks as he continued,  
“Obviously, one of you is right and one of you is wrong. But there is no way of knowing which is which until this case is solved. So, how about you both continue working on it, follow your separate ideas and let me get some bloody peace around here?!”  
Anne slumped back on the couch, annoyed that he was right; Sherlock joined her but still kept his distance from his girlfriend. John, calming down a bit, kept going,  
“Now, I am going to the store and to Danielle’s place for a bit. When I get back, I expect you to have made up like a proper couple or whatever it is you two are.”  
And with that, John grabbed his coat and huffed out of the flat. Sherlock and Anne glanced at each other.  
“He is right, you know,” Anne pouted.  
“I’m aware,” Sherlock said snippily.  
“Annoying, isn’t it?”  
“Very.”  
The couple looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter. Once they had recovered, Anne said,  
“You know, I still believe it is Moriarty but I think we should each investigate our own theories and see where it leads us.”  
“I agree.”  
“Now, since we have been fighting for so long, there is one fix I desperately need.”  
Sherlock just gave her a look of confusion, not entirely sure what she was talking about. She rolled her eyes and got off the couch, grabbing the ties of his blue dressing gown and dragging him towards the bedroom. Once they were there, Anne instantly removed her clothes, encouraging Sherlock to do the same. As soon as they were undressed, Anne forcefully pushed him onto the bed, crawling on top of him and straddling him, leaning down to kiss him hungrily, desperately. His hands quickly tangled in her hair, yanking hard and causing her to gasp into his mouth as his tongue sought hers. As they were kissing, Anne felt Sherlock twitch his hips slightly and she knew he was intending on flipping them over. But before he could do that, Anne reached over, grabbing the handcuffs from the nightstand, and attached Sherlock’s wrists to the headboard. He broke the kiss abruptly, looking at her in surprise. His girlfriend stared down at him with an evil smirk on her lips.  
“Tonight, I get to be in control.”  
She watched as Sherlock’s pupils dilated to an enormous size and relished the hiss of pleasure she drew from his lips when she bit down on his collarbone, sucking a dark mark into the skin, as she ground her hips against his. By the time John got home, Sherlock and Anne had made up multiple times.


	18. Chapter 18

The next night, Greg was working late at his office; he was utterly exhausted but there was some paperwork that was incredibly late and he needed to finish it. He was just about to lay down on a couch and rest for a moment when Deborah appeared in the doorway.  
“Hey sexy,” she said.   
“Deborah, how did you get in here?! Never mind, I already know the answer.”  
“I just came by to help you relax.”  
“I don’t need your help thanks,” Greg said, going back to his desk.   
Deborah slowly removed her coat, revealing the slinky black dress she was wearing underneath. Greg glanced at her briefly then directed his vision back to his paperwork.  
“You need to put that coat back on and get out of my office.”  
“Now why would I do a thing like that?” she replied, coming up behind Greg. She moved her hands to his shoulder, massaging the muscles, then suddenly leaning down and kissing down his neck, pushing his shirt aside just enough to run her tongue along the area where his neck met his shoulder. Greg relaxed into the touch for a moment; this was his ultimate weakness and Deborah knew it. Suddenly, though, he realized exactly what was going on and jumped up from the chair,  
“What in the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!”  
“Just helping you relax,” she said, walking around the desk and over to the flustered and aggravated DI, “I know you want this too.”  
“No, I don’t. I’m with Alice and you bloody well know that.”  
“Oh, come on. You know you love me more. Besides, I’ve heard rumor that she has been spotted in quite intimate situations with a young, rich, regular patron at the club.”  
“I don’t know where you heard that but I know that can’t be true. She would never cheat on me, unlike someone else I know. Alice is wonderful and loyal and perfect.”  
“What makes her so special?” Deborah asked, finally backing away from Greg and scowling at him.  
“Everything. I love her.”  
“Yes, you’ve said that.”  
“No, you don’t understand. I love her and I am planning on asking her to marry me.”  
Deborah took a moment, speechless. Greg was speechless too. He hadn’t been planning on saying that; it hadn’t even been something he had been thinking about at all really. But now that it was out there, it made perfect sense; how could he have not seen it before? Deborah had come back into his life for a reason. He needed to see her one more time to make him realize that even if he could get her back, he didn’t want her back. Alice was the true love of his life and he wanted nothing more than to make her his wife. He just hoped that she would still have him after all that they had been through recently.   
“You’re going to propose?”  
“Yes. I am actually going to look for a ring tomorrow; Anne is going to help me.”  
“Oh...well...I think I will going now.”  
“Good.”  
Deborah picked up her coat and hurried quickly out the door. Greg sat down in his chair, pondering just what had happened in the last twenty minutes of his life. Unable to focus on his paperwork anymore, Greg headed out into the streets of London. He wandered for hours, thinking about how exactly he was going to propose, where he should buy the ring; there were many things to consider. But one thing was for sure; he knew he was going to ask her.


	19. Chapter 19

Alice cleaned the stove for what felt like the fifth time; she always cleaned when she was stressed. Greg was running late again, which wouldn’t be too unusual since he had been quite busy lately, but he normally called her to let her know he was going to work late. Deciding not to worry just yet that her boyfriend was off with his ex-wife, Alice decided to go to the club; Anne was performing tonight and it would give her something to do to take her mind off things. She got to The Candy Shop just before Anne went on. Sitting at the bar, she ordered her traditional drink and was sipping on it when she felt a sudden hand on her waist,  
“Didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”  
Alice turned to find Jackson standing behind her, smiling at her. He sat down and ordered a drink himself. As much as she hated to admit it, Alice was glad to see him; she really needed a friend that night and Anne was not the most comforting person in the world.   
“You doing okay?” Jackson asked, “You look upset.”  
“I’m fine. Just need to forget about life for awhile is all.”  
“Well, then I am the perfect man for the job.”  
Jackson then leaned over the bar, ordering two shots for them. The two of them proceeded to laugh, talk, and drink for the rest of the night. Alice wondered for awhile if this was a good idea but it wasn’t like she was cheating on Greg; she never would. Honestly, she wasn’t even positive Jackson liked her in that way. He did give her a lot of attention but he hadn’t tried to make a move of any sort. Really, he just acted like her good friend and she definitely felt she needed one of those.  
After awhile, Alice was starting to feel incredibly drunk and decided it was probably best for her to get home. She stood up unsteadily, grabbing her coat and starting for the door.  
“Wait,” Jackson said, coming up behind her and putting his arm about her waist to steady her, “Let me see you home.”  
Alice, deciding that was probably the safer option, nodded and the two of them made their way outside to Jackson’s car. They rode in silence and very quickly reached the front of Alice’s building. Grabbing her purse, she grabbed for the door handle when she felt Jackson’s hand on her thigh. She turned to him,  
“Jackson, what are you doing?”  
“Just wondering if I could maybe come up,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her.  
“Jackson, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I’m not interested in you that way; I have a boyfriend, a serious one. In fact, this is our flat.”  
“Oh,” Jackson said, looking confused, “I had no idea. Why have I never seen him? Doesn’t he ever come to see you dance?”  
“Well, we have been going through a rough patch right now but I’m sure we’ll sort it out.”  
“And you love this guy?”  
“I do. Very much. I mean, I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him...if that’s what he wants. I mean...well...it’s complicated.”  
“I see. Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed but I am not the kind to break up a relationship. Just know that I think he is an idiot for making you feel this way at all and that if you ever need me, you know exactly where to find me.”  
“Thank you Jackson. And thank you for driving me home.”  
“You’re welcome. You gonna be okay to get upstairs.”  
“I should be good. Thanks though. Goodnight.”  
Alice got out of the car and walked a crooked path up to the door. Finally making it to the door of their flat, she fumbled with the key, eventually unlocking the door and stumbling into the living room. Greg was sitting on the couch, his face pale with worry. When he saw her walk in the door, it only took him seconds to cross the room, wrap his hand behind her neck, and kiss her passionately.  
“I was so worried about you,” he said when he finally released her lips.   
“Really?” Alice said with more hostility than she intended.  
Greg placed his fingers under her chin, getting her to meet his eyes,  
“Yes, I was. I honestly was worried you had left me.”  
“What? Why would I leave you?”  
“Because I have been a huge tit lately and have been taking you for granted. Listen, I am really sorry about the last few weeks. Seeing Deborah again threw me off more than I imagined it would and I apologize. But, listen, I love you with all my heart; there is no other woman for me. I don’t know what I would do without you. Please forgive me.”  
“I forgive you Greg. I love you too.”   
She leaned up and captured his lips again, kissing him passionately as her hands threaded in his silver hair. After a moment, Greg drew back from her,  
“Have you been drinking? Are you drunk?”  
Alice nodded slowly, unsure if he would be mad at her.   
“Well, I guess I had that coming after my night out, didn’t I?”  
Alice laughed in response, kissing him again and pushing him towards the bedroom. They undressed between kisses and fell into the bed. They kissed until they were both breathless, showing each other just how much they loved the other. Eventually, both Greg and Alice were exhausted and knew that sleep was going to be the best option. She turned towards him, laying her head on his chest. He placed a kiss into her hair, stroking his fingers through it as they both drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Over the next few weeks, things continued to proceed in a normal fashion. Sherlock and Anne were both getting incredibly frustrated because the case didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Another girl had vanished but there were no new clues to point them in the right direction. This led to the couple being quite irritable with everybody but each other. Alice had quit the burlesque troupe. Her presence there was not really helping the case and Greg felt it unnecessary to risk her life for no reason. Therefore, Miss Messenger was once again in search of a dancer to take Alice’s place. The solution to this came in the form of Casey Montessa. She was new to the dance scene, quite young at 18, but full of passion and energy. After much discussion, it was decided Casey would take Alice’s stage name and routine. This would make the transition easier and not put a delay in the shows.   
Casey quickly became a favorite in the group and was an incredibly talented dancer. Also, for reasons unknown to anyone, Anne took a great shining to her, something she rarely did to anyone since she was not given to sentimentality. But there was something different about this little blonde girl, something that brought out a protective side in Anne. She watched over Casey, made sure the other girls treated her right, and kept an eye out for any signs of suspicious behavior surrounding her. Anne treated Casey different than she had treated anyone else in her life and no one really knew why.  
As for the case, once another girl went missing, Anne decided she could no longer put off checking out the rival club owned by Miss Messenger’s ex-boyfriend, The Sweet and Sour. Putting on a red wig and a discreet dress, Anne headed over there on one of her nights off. The club was flashy and huge with several levels, each one dedicated to different types of burlesque from vintage to incredibly risqué. There were are also many private booths and rooms available to use for a hefty price. The bartenders were showing off, tossing shakers and lighting the bar on fire. Honestly, Anne understood why this club was getting more attention. She sat watching one of the shows, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Not having any luck, she was just about to leave when something caught her eye; a man in a pinstripe suit was talking to someone by the back door, handing him money and looking around suspiciously. Although she could only see the back of his head, that person looked eerily like Moriarty. The man took the money and slipped out the back door as Anne tried to follow. However, he was too quick and had vanished by the time she got outside, leaving her with no options but to come back another time and see if she could get any information out of the ex-boyfriend.  
Since there was not much she could do at the rival club that night, Anne decided to head back to The Candy Shop and see if she could get anything useful out of Miss Messenger about her ex, but when Anne got there, she was gone for the night already. Anne then decided to just go to her dressing room and grab something before heading home. When she walked in, she found a note taped to her mirror which read,

It was great to see your beautiful face tonight, pet. Keep your eyes out. I’m always around. And you will see me again soon.

Anne knew it was from Moriarty; no one else would send a note like that. However, as smug as she was feeling, Anne decided not to tell Sherlock about it yet. She would rather bring him a completely solved case than have him mock her for only figuring part of it out. However, she was excited that she was on the right track; things were finally getting interesting.


	21. Chapter 21

Anne continued going back to the rival club, looking for an opportunity to speak with the elusive owner. Meanwhile, Greg had picked out the perfect ring for Alice and was just looking for the right moment to propose. Admittedly, it had been a lot easier finding the right ring than he imagined it would. Anne, who knew Alice better than anyone, was able to spot the right one in less than five minutes. And, since it was impossible to argue with Anne since she was usually right, Greg had eagerly agreed the the ring was perfect. After a lot of pondering and planning, the Detective Inspector was ready to ask the true woman of his dreams to be his wife.  
On the big night, Alice arrived home from work to find Greg making an incredible dinner. She had been out covering a fashion event so she was already dressed up. Greg looked up from his preparations to take in her black, velvet dress that hugged her every curve; a huge smile crossed his face as he thought about what was to come that night. Alice set her stuff down and quickly joined him in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist and turning his face to hers so she could kiss him.   
“What are you making?”  
“Shepherd’s pie.”  
“Yum! You know, that is the very first thing you ever made for me...on our second date.”  
“Yes, I know,” Greg replied, looked at her with a smirk on his face, “That’s also the first night I kissed you; I’ll never forget that kiss.”  
“Me either,” Alice said blushing and smiling, her mind replaying the entire scene from that night of them sitting by the fire.  
Greg finished up the meal and brought them each a big plate, setting them down on the table and pouring them each a glass of wine. They sat eating and talking while exchanging loving glances across the candle-lit table. Both of them were so happy to have their relationship back to normal. After dinner, Greg did all the dishes then surprised Alice by grabbing her coat and helping her put it on.  
“Where are we going?” Alice said, giving him a confused look.  
“I thought we would go out for once. You know, grab a few drinks or something.”  
“That sounds good,” Alice replied, leaning up to kiss him again.  
They walked out into the street and Greg hailed a taxi, giving the cabbie an address Alice didn’t recognize. They rode along, Greg holding her hand and stroking his thumb across her fingers; Alice had never been happier. Soon, they arrived at a local pub. As they walked inside, Alice realized it seemed familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. Then, as they were ordering their drinks, it hit her.  
“This is where we first met, isn’t it?” she said, a big smile on her face.  
“Yes, it is,” Greg answered, taking her hand in his and placing a big kiss on the back of it, “You know, I saw you sitting at the bar that night and I knew I just had to meet you. Granted, I thought it was all completely ruined when Sherlock went off on his deductions, but you were so amazing and sweet about it. I think that was the night I fell in love with you.”  
“I fell in love with you too that night. I know we were both so hesitant at first about getting into a relationship but I feel both of us knew from the start we would end up together. Not that we haven’t had our problems, of course.”  
“Every couple does. The important part is that we have come through them still completely in love.”  
Alice smiled and leaned into Greg; they kissed for several minutes before finally breaking apart and sipping on their drinks. After several rounds, Greg paid their bill and the two of them headed outside. Lestrade took a deep breath before asking,  
“Alice, would you like to take a walk?”  
She smiled and agreed, the two of them walking off in the direction of Kensington Gardens. This had always been their favorite place to walk, especially at the beginning of their relationship. They walked along the pathway arm in arm with Alice leaning into Greg’s side as he smiled down at her. Eventually, they reached a fountain, lit up with lights. Greg directed them over to it and they sat down on the edge. After a brief moment of silence and star gazing, he cleared his throat and began to speak,  
“Love, I have something very important to tell you.”  
Alice turned her head to him, raising her eyebrows and giving him a look of confusion.  
“Ok. What is it?”  
At this point, Greg rose from his seated position on the fountain and got down on one knee; Alice realized exactly what was happening and began smiling like an idiot, her hand covering her mouth in surprise.  
“Alice, my heart, I never saw myself getting married again. Never even saw myself falling in love again. But then I met you. You have accepted me completely despite my past, my age difference, my demanding job, and my odd friends. I love you more than life itself and can’t imagine being with anyone else. I want to have kids with you, grow old with you, and be the witness to your life. Alice Lauren Johansson, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”  
And this point, Greg produced the vintage diamond ring from his pocket. Alice nodded yes, tears falling down her cheeks as he slipped it on her finger, then brought him off his knee to sit beside her, kissing him breathless. The two sat there on the fountain, newly engaged, happy, and kissing each other senseless until they were too cold and had to leave the park to hail a cab and head back to their flat where the engagement celebration was sure to continue.


	22. Chapter 22

That same night, Anne was moping around the flat for reasons unknown to both John and Sherlock. She was dressed in her pajamas and curled into a fetal position on the couch. While Sherlock did not see it as important enough to pause in his experiments, John was concerned about her; she was not one to show emotion so it was usually very serious when she did. Sitting down on the couch, John placed a hand on her shoulder,  
“Anne, are you okay?”  
“I’m fine.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes.”  
“Can I bring you a cup of tea or anything?”  
“No.”  
“Alright then.”  
John stood up from the couch, not incredibly shocked by Anne’s terse behavior. Just then she turned her head to him,  
“John...thank you.”  
“You’re welcome,” he said with a small smirk on his face, “Anyway, Sherlock, I’m going to spend a night with Danielle. Please, be nice.”  
Sherlock glanced up at his flatmate as John indicated towards Anne with his eyes before vanishing out the door in the kitchen. Sherlock watched as his girlfriend shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable, before finally getting off the couch and walking to the bedroom. She stripped down and crawled into bed, drawing the sheet close around her. Moments later, her boyfriend joined her, looking down at her on the bed,  
“What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Don’t lie to me. You know that doesn’t work. What’s wrong?”  
“Another girl vanished today.”  
“So?”  
“It was Casey.”  
“I still don’t see how that necessitates such show of emotion and sentiment.”  
“I just...cared...about her...okay?”  
“I don’t understand.”  
Anne sat up in the bed, drawing a blanket around her as she motioned for Sherlock to sit on the bed. He joined her and she began to explain some things.  
“Listen, Sherlock, I wasn’t always like this, without sentiment, pushing people away. It happened when I was young. You see, I had a sister, a younger sister, who I cared about a great deal. She was my best friend and the only person who understood me. Then one day, she was killed in a motor vehicle accident. I watched as my family fell apart. My heart was broken but for some reason I felt like I was the one who had to keep it together, to be there for my family. Once we had gotten through the ordeal, I saw that sentiment didn’t help situations like that and I vowed to never let it overcome my head.”  
“I still do not see how this relates to Casey.”  
“Well, Casey was a lot like my sister. And, while I hate sentiment, it is not voluntary, like I have said before. I guess that her going missing feels like losing my sister all over again. I’m sick of losing people in my life.”  
“It’s only one person.”  
“Yes, well Alice got engaged so I have kind of lost her.”  
Sherlock finally stood up, stripped off his clothes, and crawled into bed with her. He drew her into his arms, showing an incredible amount of emotion.  
“You haven’t lost me,” he said in a bizarre demonstration of sentiment.  
Anne nuzzled into his bare chest before replying,  
“No, that’s true. I won’t lose you, will I?”  
“Of course not. Who else would put up with me?”  
“That is true.”  
Sherlock smiled his rare smile at her before pushing her down into the mattress, kissing her deeply and rolling on top of her. And as Sherlock began teasing her, Anne was grateful John had decided to go out.


	23. Chapter 23

Greg and Alice hurried up into the flat quickly, eager to be alone together. The moment they entered their place, Alice pressed Greg against the door, kissing him deeply as his hands ran up and down her sides. Suddenly, she broke the kiss and walked towards the bedroom.  
“Sit on the couch and I will be out in a moment.”  
She emerged shortly, wearing the outfit she used to wear in her performance. Greg beamed at her as she pressed play on the stereo and began dancing for him. She did the routine just as he had seen her do before but this time it was just for him. As the music drew to a close, Alice discarded the fans and went over to sit in Greg’s lap, grinding her hips against his as she felt his excitement grow. Leaning down, she captured his lips briefly before kissing a line down his neck, whispering against his skin,  
“Greg, I love you and I can’t wait to begin our lives together.”  
“I love you too,” he replied as he threaded his fingers in her hair, flipping her over so he was on top of her. He kissed her breathless as he worked to remove the dress she wore. When she was sufficiently defrocked, Alice set about removing Greg’s clothes as well. Both undressed, Greg began kissing down her body, brushing kisses across her cleavage and further down, his fingers teasing the skin he wasn’t kissing. Alice moaned as his hand stroked across her lower back and she grabbed his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers as they continued to spend the remainder of the night celebrating their engagement in many ways.


	24. Chapter 24

Feeling more determined than ever to solve this case, Anne went back to The Sweet and Sour, hoping to finally get a chance to talk to the elusive ex; she figured if he wouldn’t just talk to her, she would find a way to seduce him to get information. However, all those plans changed once the show started and the new opening act appeared on stage. She looked incredibly familiar and Anne had no idea why. As she watched the girl dance and move with her fans, she realized who she was: Casey! Granted her hair was a different color and there was obvious plastic surgery, but it was definitely her. The way she moved and little details that only Anne or Sherlock would notice were a dead giveaway. So this was where all the girls were going. This ex-boyfriend, Richard, was somehow threatening the girls to come to his club then making them change their appearance to keep their true identity hidden. All of Anne’s doubts vanished; this was definitely Moriarty. However, not wanting to jump to any conclusions just yet, Anne determined that she would look at the old photos of the girls and compare them to the current performers to see if her theory was correct.   
The next night, she had to perform; if she was right about the missing girls, this would be her last night performing. Anne had spent the whole day with Sherlock, telling him her theory while comparing the pictures. However, she chose not to mention the Moriarty part since she didn’t want to start a fight quite yet and there was no actual proof it was him. Leaving Sherlock to continue with the work, Anne had gone off to the club. The performance went well that night and she was back in her dressing room when the door slammed shut. Anne jumped as Moriarty’s face appeared behind her in the mirror. Before she had a chance to react, one of his hands slipped around her middle, sliding up her skin to caress her chest through the black leather; the other hand held a gun to her temple,  
“Hello pet,” he whispered in her ear.  
“What do you want?”  
“Just wanted to pay you a little visit. I know you figured out my little plot for this one. One of my more creative ones, I must admit. It was easy to get blackmail on all the girls; everybody has secrets. But I especially thought the flowers were just a nice touch.”   
Moriarty continued running his hand over her body, placing kisses between his words against her neck, knowing she wouldn’t dare attempt escape with the gun pressed to her head.  
“You do understand the bit with the flowers, I hope.”  
“Of course.”  
“Well go on then.”  
“The flowers, traditionally left at graves, symbolize the death of their old stage name and identity because the girls have been given a new one at a new place. Even been given a new look.”  
“It was an expensive venture, I must admit, what with the plastic surgery and all, but it was well worth the reward of watching you squirm because you couldn’t quite figure it out. Although you figured it out faster than our dear Sherlock, which I find to be quite a turn on.”  
He ended this comment with a sharp and painful nip to her ear.   
“He still doesn’t believe it’s me, does he?”  
Anne shook her head slowly, contemplating her methods of escape, knowing they were few and far between. Unfortunately, she was not as well versed in escape methods as her boyfriend. Moriarty continued his gloating,  
“You know, I didn’t plan on the disappearance of your little friend to cause you so much discomfort but I must admit it was a welcome bonus. Although I guess that did technically lead to you figuring it all out.”  
Moriarty leaned into her as his hand wandered down to her ass, grabbing it as she tried her best to pull away from him without provoking him to pull the trigger.  
“Guess I do feel a bit bad for Richard, left holding the bag for all of this. Then again, he knew what he was getting into. He didn’t count on you and your boy toy getting involved. But I did. I always do. And you will hear from me again.”   
With that, Moriarty quickly spun her around, kissing her roughly yet passionately on the lips before vanishing out the door before Anne had a chance to pursue him. As she caught her breathe and attempted to slow down her racing heart, Anne contemplated everything that she had just learned. She knew Moriarty would be long gone before the police could get to him, but at least her and Sherlock would be able to take Richard down. Maybe Miss Messenger would even get her girls back. With all this in mind, Anne quickly grabbed her coat, neglecting to change, and headed over to Baker Street.  
Anne, having arrived back at Baker Street, told the whole story to John and Sherlock. DI Lestrade was promptly called and informed about everything. After arrests were made and the proper people questioned, the girls were allowed to return to Miss Messenger. Although they had different looks, they maintained their old stage names and life at The Candy Shop returned to normal with a grateful owner feeling much in Anne and Sherlock’s debt.


	25. Chapter 25

A few months later, John and Sherlock were hosting a Christmas party at their flat. Well, John was hosting it while Anne and Sherlock complained about how unnecessary it was. Mrs. Hudson had been there earlier but as the hour grew late, she decided to go downstairs and go to bed. Molly Hooper had also been there for awhile as well but her and her new boyfriend had another party to attend, leaving the three remaining couples cuddled around the room, having all consumed vast amounts of alcohol, including Anne and Sherlock, which was a rarity for them. As everyone there proceeded to get even more drunk, Anne and Sherlock started making their observations of how everyone was acting, most of the time reciting their observations out loud for the room to hear. John was apparently very affectionate when drunk, placing constant kisses on Danielle, which she eagerly returned. After awhile, they were getting more affectionate and John decided it was time for them to go up to his room. He took her hand and led her up the stairs, still constantly placing kisses on her lips, her hair, her neck, wherever he could. As they vanished, it left Greg and Alice and Anne and Sherlock. Greg, not normally very verbose, became quite talkative when drunk,  
“Alice,” he said to the girl sitting in his lap, kissing her neck, “have I told you how beautiful you are? And how much I love you? I love you so much. I want to marry you right now. Can we do that? Can we get married tomorrow? Sherlock can be my best man and Anne can be your maid of honor and we can get married and then go to some island for our honeymoon and...”  
Alice stopped his speech by kissing him deeply, but soon broke the kiss as she giggled and hiccuped. Greg continued complimenting his fiancé and pressing his lips against her skin while she giggled and kissed him back. Eventually, they thought about heading home but Anne insisted that they should just stay in her flat downstairs, where Alice used to live. Greg, not about to complain about going such a short distance, scooped Alice up and tossed her over his shoulder as she squeaked in surprise. He took her downstairs and placed her on the bed where he joined here and they both promptly fell asleep.   
Alone at last, Sherlock and Anne sat in a chair in front of the dying fire. She was sitting in his lap with his arms around her waist. After a moment, she leaned her head down on top of his curls, twirling some of them around her finger. The alcohol getting the best of him, Sherlock suddenly said,  
“Anne, I love you.  
She looked down at him, a bit confused; he had never said that to her before. They both knew they loved each other but saying it was always an unnecessary sentiment for their relationship.   
“I love you too, Sherlock.”  
“Good,” he replied, leaning up to begin kissing her neck. Anne sighed as he soon ran his tongue up to her ear, nibbling on it while his hand reached down to maneuver under her dress, running his fingers over the skin of her thigh. After a moment, Anne rearranged her position so that she was straddling Sherlock’s lap; she leaned down and kissed him passionately, lovingly, allowing her tongue to slip past his lips and explore his mouth. His hands came up to stroke up and down her back. Perhaps it was the alcohol or perhaps it was just a growth in their relationship, but there was more behind their affection towards each other at that moment than the simple desire to fulfill hormonal cravings. Sliding his hands beneath her, Sherlock lifted Anne up and carried her to the bedroom, still kissing her. He placed her gently on the bed and slowly removed her dress. After he had taken his own clothes off as well, Sherlock lowered himself down onto Anne and the couple that was so scared of sentiment made love to each other for the remainder of the night.


End file.
